Second City of Cambridge Participatory Budgeting Winning Projects Announced

 City officials just announced the winning projects of Cambridge’s second Participatory Budgeting (PB) initiative.  PB is a democratic process in which residents directly decide how to spend part of a public budget.  From December 5-12, 2015, Cambridge residents age 12 and older voted on how to spend $600,000 of the FY17 Capital Budget. 

The following seven projects won funding:  

1. Cambridge Prepared Food Rescue Freezer Van ($48,000)
2. Separate Bike Lanes from Traffic ($50,000)
3. 5 Water Bottle Refill Stations ($40,000)
4. Make Massachusetts Avenue Safer for Bikers ($70,000)
5. Shape Up Our Squares! ($40,000)
6. Faster, Better #1 Bus for Cambridge ($250,000)
7. New Chairs for Cambridge Public Schools! ($102,000)

Over 540 project ideas to improve Cambridge were submitted by community members in August.  Volunteer Budget Delegates worked from September to November to research and develop the highest priority ideas into 23 proposals to be voted on by residents in December. This time, 4,184 residents voted—a 53% increase over the City’s pilot PB process. 

Many thanks to the PB Cambridge Steering Committee, the Budget Delegates, the Participatory Budgeting Project, City staff, the Stanford Crowdsourced Democracy Team, and all of the volunteers and participants who helped make the second PB process a success. 

“This has been a terrific civic process, full of so much community spirit,” said City Manager Richard C. Rossi. 

For more information, please visit pb.cambridgema.gov or contact the City’s Budget Office at pb@cambridgema.gov or (617) 349-4270.